


Cleansing

by ecaracap



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Jewish Identity, M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22534093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecaracap/pseuds/ecaracap
Summary: Nico loses Levi on the morning of their wedding. Turns out, Levi wanted to make sure he completes an important Jewish custom before he gets married.
Relationships: Nico Kim/Levi Schmitt
Comments: 4
Kudos: 150





	Cleansing

“We can’t find him,” Taryn spits out quickly over the phone. 

Nico grunts, slowly starting to sit up in his hotel bed, his phone pressed against his face. “What do you mean you can’t find him?” he asks Taryn.

“Well…” Taryn says deliberately, sounding distracted. “He’s not in his hotel room. He’s not at breakfast or at the apartment. He’s not even at the hospital. And he won’t answer his phone. So...we thought maybe he snuck in with you, Dr. Kim?”

“No, Taryn...he’s not here,” Nico states, getting out of bed, going to the window overlooking the city. “Keep looking. And I’ll look too.”

Nico hung up the phone and frowned a bit to himself. He wasn’t worried, but he hoped Levi was alright. Luckily, though, he had some idea about where Levi might be. 

* * *

Nico arrives at a nondescript tan building, the sign on the outside reading “The Seattle Mikvah.” He heads inside, where the decor looks more like a spa than a religious building. A middle-aged man and woman sit behind the counter. The pair look at each other before glancing at Nico before offering faint smiles.

“Good morning,” the man says slowly. “Can we help you?”

Nico offers them a beaming smile, resting his arms on the counter. “I’m looking for someone,” he tells them, “Levi Schmitt.”

“We offer complete discretion to our patrons here,” the woman tells him. “We cannot offer that information.”

Nico nods - he understands discretion, but he was kind of on a deadline. He needed to find Levi. “Alright. Then I’d like to use a mikvah, please.”

The man sighs, taking off his glasses, “I don’t usually like to be too presumptive, young man, but I don’t believe you are of the faith. Am I correct?” 

“No, I’m not Jewish,” Nico says with a little sigh. “But my fiance is. Today is our wedding day and I believe he is here. I know this is an important ritual for men who are getting married, so, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to use your services. Because it’s my wedding day too.”

The man looks back to the doors to the right, then back to Nico before nodding. “This is a blessed day, indeed. Congratulations to you both. The fee is $8 for nonmembers and donations are always appreciated.”  
Nico smiles, pulling out his wallet and setting a $50 bill on the counter. “Thank you,” he tells the man.

“Thank you, young man,” the man says, setting a towel down on the counter for Nico. “There is a changing room to the right with cubbies for your things. A shower and extra towels are available there.”

* * *

Nico walks into the small room where the gentle sound of rushing water hits his ears. A smile immediately spreads across his face when he sees the serene face of his fiance suddenly become panicked at his presence. 

“Nico?” Levi says, his hands immediately going to cover himself under the water.

Nico rolls his eyes, going over to the table to drop off the towel wrapped around his waist. “You don’t need to be modest,” Nico tells him, “I’ve seen it all before.”

“But we’re not supposed to see each other,” Levi tells him, his eyes wandering over Nico’s now naked body. “That was the point of the separate rooms last night.”

Nico shrugs, walking over, carefully stepping down the few steps into the small mikvah pool. “Well, when you leave without telling anyone, then it’s up to me to find you.”

Levi laughs softly, before nodding. His hands skim over the water gently, leaving trails of ripples in his wake. “You know, the water is collected from the Pacific Ocean specifically.”

Nico nods, running his own hands over the water, “That’s pretty cool.”

“You’re supposed to dunk under the water three times,” Levi continues. “That’s kind of like the magic number and then you’re cleansed.”

“Have you done that yet?” Nico asks though he’s sure he knows the answer from Levi’s dry hair.

“No...not yet,” Levi says, cupping his hand, letting the water trickle from his palm.

“You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” Nico teases, allowing himself to slip under the water up to his shoulders.

Levi’s eyes widen, looking directly at Nico’s face. “No! God...crap...I mean no. Definitely not,” Levi says firmly. “No, I’m just...feeling pensive.” Nico gives Levi an easy smile, letting him continue without interruption. “I’ve never been to a mikvah before. You know, Jewish women are supposed to come here every month. But my mom only came here once a year, before Yom Kippur. But I never have. And men usually only come here on important days...like their wedding day. Now it’s my wedding day and I’m here and I’m so sure I want to marry you, but I’m just…I’m just...”

“Nervous?” Nico supplies lightly.

“Nervous,” Levi repeats with a little chuckle. “Once I’m cleansed, once I leave, then...we get married. And then...I don’t know what happens after that.”

“Then we’re married,” Nico assures him, “And whatever happens after that, we’ll deal with. Both of us, together.”

Levi shakes his head, laughing louder than he did earlier. “How are you so perfect? How do you know just what to say to make me feel better?”

Nico just smiles and shrugs. “Because we’re meant to be, of course. Are you ready to be cleansed?” Nico says, inching further into the water himself.

“Wait, you’re doing it too?” Levi asks, confused.

“Sure,” Nico says, “It’s my wedding day too.”

Levi laughs again, nodding excitedly, “Okay. Let’s do it together, on three. One...two...three!”

Nico plunges his head underwater, watching his fiance’s head disappear at the same time. The water, warmer than Nico had expected, really does feel cleansing. He’s not religious, but he can see why this is an important wedding day ritual. When he comes up for air, it feels new. Things feel fresh. Twice more, the pair of them break the surface of the water, plunging back underneath.

After going under the water three times, Nico comes back up, gasping for air. He pushes his hair out of his face in time to watch Levi shake out his drenched curls. But the bright, electric smile Levi gives him makes his stomach turn and his heart tighten. He’s so ready to marry this man. “Alright,” Nico tells him, shaking out his own hair, “Let’s go get married.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I tried my best to research the Jewish mikvah and customs surrounding the use of it by men on their wedding day, but I am by no means an expert. Please let me know if something is incorrect and I can revise it!


End file.
